So I read the sticky for new players and, as helpful as it truly was, I still have a few questions.

I am switching over from wow as I am sure many have, and I understand some of the major differences that FF posses over wow. For one, there is the overall focus on community play rather than the solo grind. This leads me to my first question. ---Is it possible, and if so is it enjoyable, to run solo? I'm not looking for an excuse not to join the community, I'm asking merely out of curiosity. And leading to my second question. ---Are there specific servers(Realms) that are more forgiving on a noob as I am sure I will be for some time? Also on that note, is there a guild system like in wow? For example, a way to join groups of people that you can stay in touch with and party together. If so, how can I find good communities in order to pick which realm would be best for me?

These are really the main things I'm thinking about right now. I literally have the game downloading as we speak(err..type). If you have any other info to help this noob out feel free to chime in. I'd be more than happy to be pointed in the right direction of any information that can make my transition from wow most enjoyable.

Leveling solo is definitely an option. As far as being enjoyable... it's better than it used to be, but what is enjoyable depends on the person.

The Linkshell is the guild of FFXI. They come in all shapes in sizes- endgame, social, special event, etc. I strongly recommend finding a social one to join before starting, you can even check this forum for those who have posted invites to their linkshells. It's probably obvious, but you can have multiple linkshells and most don't have attendance/loyalty requirements.

As far as servers... there are differences, but it's more important that you find a linkshell to join and start on that server. The servers really aren't specialized and one isn't inherently better for new players.

1) It is possible to run solo for a fair amount of your leveling experience due to Fields and Grounds of Valor, which are repeatable little regimens that you can do in multiple areas that give you chunks of exp for killing a certain number of mobs. Given your job choice and kill speed, you can rake in exp at a fairly good speed doing this. As far as actual "end game" content however, most all of that is centered around parties/alliances, so in doing those, you'll want help.

2) Really, there isn't any one server that would be much more forgiving to newbs than others. You can pretty much start on any of the servers and more or less have the same experience I believe. There is an equivalent to a guild in FFXI known as a Linkshell, which allows you a group chat with others in the linkshell for group coordination, event planning, or just messing around. A number of linkshells, especially ones for new players, tend to advertise themselves on public forums or in the central hub cities (Jeuno and Whitegate presently) in game, so my recommendation might be there.

Iron - do it, it's only $20 on steam, slightly more than a month of WoW. I have recently come back to FFXI after being away for 9 (!) years. In many ways, not much has changed, the game is still very fun as I remember it (when the internet was "young").

That said, I must forewarn you since you are coming from WoW:

-The UI and controls are going to be a huge adjustment for you. Forget your mouse, it will only betray you. There are not UI addons to make the game easier or increase your quality of life. Plug in a gamepad or learn to use the numpad/arrows + wasd. Working through the menus is a bit like moving from an automatic to a stick shift car - in that it is very tactile at first (Do you want to do this? Yes/No. You are now doing this, Okay? Yes/No.) but you WILL GET USED TO IT and it isn't such a big deal.

-The game is casual friendly, this didn't used to be the case. Death/failure will be more punishing than WoW, but come on, that game is bowling with the bumpers up. Soloing is very possible but I urge you to find groups/alliances(raids) as early as possible.

-Use the books located near the zone-in, those are your "leveling quests." In WoW you had kill 10 wolves, get 500 exp, same idea here except it is truly monotonous with zero storyline. That said, it speeds up leveling immensely. When my friend told me he reached 99 in two days played, I said he was full of ****. It's true though, it is possible to turbo through leveling if you want to do endgame, and you will no longer spend days getting one or two levels (though I am admittedly nostalgic of CoP ffxi in qufim, dunes, etc.).

-The crafting is deeper, more time-consuming, and more rewarding. You don't have to do it, but this generally becomes your money maker as leveling jobs (classes) becomes expensive. Fishing is a good place to start/cooking, it benefits everyone.

-Be a Hume for your first character. Why? Imagine if your main in WoW could be any class. This is FFXI, and odds are you will want to try most of them. Hume are versatile and will allow you to play any of the classes without any real detriment. Other races must take attributes/HP/MP into consideration. Both times I have not rolled Hume, and regretted it!

-Most of all, be patient, and ask for help! The most noticeable thing about the FFXI community is that there is one! WoW has deteriorated into a me-first machievellian loot pinata type game, and the community has turned to ****. FFXI players rely on one another to get things done, thusly have learned to work together. You will run into japanese players, in which case you can complete words/phrases by typing G-a-l <Tab key> and it will translate Galka to japanese. The built in translator is great.

1- Leveling can be done completely solo if you want, using Field Manuals and Grounds Tomes. However, at every 5th level from 50 on, you need to complete a quest to raise your level cap. Most of these are soloable, with the exception of a couple. The good news is, once you do these quests once, your level cap is increased forever, for every job. You do not have to repeat them. In regards to storyline quests (Nation, Zilart, CoP, Aht Urgan, Goddess, Abyssea), some of them you will need help with, regardless of what your level is.

2- I can speak for the server Siren, that it is pretty friendly for newer players. Honestly, from what I've heard new players are accepted fairly easily on most servers. The learning curve will be your biggest hurdle, considering how different this game is from every other MMO.

3- Macros are huge if you use a PC without a gamepad. You will want to learn how to write macros if you plan on using a keyboard. It takes some learning, but once you figure it out, its easy. You will be much less dependant on your mouse than you were in WoW.

4- As far as your race, it doesn't matter. At first, certain races lend themselves to certain jobs (taru for mages, galka for warriors/monks, mithra for thf, ranger, ninja, and humes balanced). HOWEVER, later in the game your equipment will more than make up for any base stat weakness of your race. So pick the race you want to play. Eventually, you'll play most, if not every job, if you stay around long enough.